Fishermen sickened during oil cleanup

Thursday

May 27, 2010 at 11:44 AM

John DeSantisSenior Staff Writer

HOUMA — Seven fishermen, including some from Lafourche Parish, were hospitalized Wednesday night after they became sick while cleaning up oil related to the Deepwater Horizon oil leak off Breton Sound.As a precaution, Coast Guard and BP officials said this morning, all 125 fishing boats working to clean the spill in that area were called in to port so crew members could be checked out.About 3:30 p.m., crew members of three vessels reported nausea, dizziness, headaches and chest pains. One was taken by helicopter to West Jefferson Medical Center in Marrero, two were taken there by boat and others by ambulance.Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Robinson Cox, assistant safety officer at the BP Incident Command Post on La. 311, said no other fishermen are known to be ill.“No other personnel are reporting symptoms, but we are taking this action as an extreme safeguard,” Cox said.The Coast Guard, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, and safety officers from BP are investigating.Jennifer Steele, a spokeswoman for West Jefferson Medical Center in Gretna, said this morning that all seven were admitted to the hospital in stable condition.“They came into contact with a substance,” said Gina Meyer, superintendent of the Plaquemines Parish Ambulance Service. None of the cases is considered life-threatening, she said. The names of the fishermen were not available this morning, but associates confirmed that they were part of the BP Vessels of Opportunity program’s Task Force No. 2, a fleet of 25 shrimp boats hired by the oil company to pull skimmers protecting the Louisiana coast from the Deepwater Horizon leak.The men had been at sea chasing oil since the first week of May.The ill men were brought to the Grand Isle Shipyard dock in Venice, where medical teams and ambulances awaited them. Fishermen who had talked to the affected group said they were east of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet and had entered an area where dispersant used to break up the oil had recently been sprayed.The fishermen said they knew the dispersant was present because they had previously smelled it during their weeks on the water.One of the fishermen reported vision problems, other had respiratory distress, low blood pressure and severe nose and throat irritation, family members and associates said.Fishermen working the oil spill are issued protective suits and goggles and ordered to wear them, although a BP spokeswoman said they are not required by law. BP does not provide respirators, which the company says are also not required by law. Air samples are taken in areas where cleanup crews are working to ensure conditions are safe, company representatives said.Scattered reports of headaches and other maladies have emerged over the past few weeks from clean-up sites. This is the first known instance of hospitalized clean-up workers.About 200 vessels of are currently in use by the Vessels of Opportunity program. The fishermen who took ill were working on shrimp trawlers in excess of 60 feet in length.

Senior Staff Writer John DeSantis can be reached at 850-1150 or john.desantis@dailycomet.com